Chamba, May 26 -- Voting for the first phase of Panchayati Raj elections in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba commenced on Tuesday, with the district administration making elaborate arrangements to ensure peaceful and fair polling.

According to officials, polling will be conducted for 676 wards across 118 panchayats in the district during the first phase.

The Panchayati Raj elections in Chamba district are being conducted in three phases, with polling for other two phases scheduled on May 28 and May 30.

To ensure the smooth conduct of the elections, the administration has deployed 3,813 employees across 319 panchayats in the district. A total of 4,07,853 voters are eligible to cast their votes in the elections. The electorate comprises 2,01,28...